What do we mean, in the hiring / resume/ career – world when we talk about continuing education? I am sure the answers vary from individual to individual, but for the most part, and in most cases, you will find that continuing education doesn’t just refer to degrees held. Stop underselling yourself relative to your training and lose the humbleness. Consider your career, past and current, as well as all those courses your employer may have required of or offered you.

When I begin working with a client I want to know every training, course, certificate and workshop they have ever taken. Sure, some of these will not make it to the resume, but you would be surprised at what “golden nuggets” people leave off their resume. For the most part, each of these courses will not only enhance the hard achievements included in your resume, but it communicates (subliminally) your commitment to ongoing learning and professional development. The subliminal things your resume communicates can be pretty important when it comes down to you and the average 4 additional candidates being considered for a given position.

My advice regarding continuing education? Soak it up! You invest your time, your talent and work product in your company, let your company, current or future, invest in you and your professional development. Take advantage of any training programs they offer. It looks great on your resume!

For those of you transitioning industries and worried that you don’t have every one of the certifications listed in the pie-in-the-sky position description? Or for those of you whose current employer does not invest in their employee’s professional development, consider the many free online learning courses out there. To help you along, here is a list, provided by Mashable, of free online resources available to you https://mashable.com/2015/10/13/free-online-classes/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-pete-link#qreItOgL3sqJ . Don’t be afraid to do your own research if these don’t appeal to you.

Bottom line, investing the time, if not the money, in your professional development is worth the investment. Every time.